Docheiariou Monastery

Dochiariou Monastery – The Holy Monastery of Docheiariou (Mount Athos)

The Holy Monastery of Dochiariou (Μονή Δοχειαρείου) is the first coastal monastery on the southwest side of the Athonite peninsula, built at the end of an uneven slope a short distance from Xenophontos Monastery.

In the hierarchy of the twenty monasteries of Mount Athos, Dochiariou occupies the tenth place.

Establishment and Development

According to tradition, the monastery of Dochiariou was founded by Saint Euthymios, fellow practitioner and student of Saint Athanasios, who preached in the Great Lavra having the deaconship of “dochiarios,” i.e., the person in charge of the food warehouse.

The monastery of Dochiariou is first attested in 1013 with the signature of the monk Theodoulos “of Dochiariou” in two synodal acts. Theodoulos also signs documents from 1015 and 1020. According to a 1037 document, the first monastery—dedicated to Saint Nikolaos—was founded next to the bay of Daphne, whose name it also bore, along with the nickname “Dochiariou.” That same record notes that the monastery had possessed property “since time immemorial,” encouraging a founding date in the last quarter of the 10th century.

Another view identifies the founder and first abbot as “Ioannis monachos the potter,” who signed a Lavra document in the early 11th century. Due to pirate raids, however, the monks—between 1037 and 1083—left Daphne and resettled at a site likely higher than today’s. From then on, the monastery bore only the name “Dochiariou.”

Imperial Protection and Early Growth (11th–12th c.)

The first great benefactors were Emperors Michael VII Doukas (with his mother Evdokia, 1071–1078) and Nikephoros Botaneiatis (1078–1081), the latter even mentioned as founder. In 1089, Alexios I Komnenos and his mother Anna Dalassene protected the monastery’s possessions and annuities.

At the current location—according to documents before and after 1100—a primary role in reconstruction was played by the former patrician and friend of Emperor Nikephoros, Abbot Neophytos. In his will he states: “I built a palace and planted a vineyard and built ships... and I raised the temple of the Chief General Michael, whose beauty I much admired...”

Its early prosperity across the first three centuries is also reflected in its rank within the Typikon of Mount Athos.

Hardship, Raids, and Repairs (13th–16th c.)

After a period of prosperity came hardship. As a coastal monastery, Dochiariou suffered pirate raids, especially from the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

In the 14th century efforts were made to repair and support it. Benefactors included King Stefan Dušan of Serbia (1349) and Emperor John V Palaiologos (1355). The Monastery of Kalligraphou—now lost—was attached to Dochiariou during this period.

Raids continued in the 15th–16th centuries. Under the Ottoman occupation and other national disasters, the monastery declined until the early 16th century. In 1567/68 Sultan Selim II “the Drunkard” (1566–1574) issued a firman confiscating its property.

Reconstruction and Cretan School Frescoes (16th–18th c.)

From the early 16th century small repairs began; after mid-century they became systematic. A pioneer was the priest George of Adrianople, who devoted himself to the monastery after healing at the Sanctification of the Archangels. George persuaded John Alexander IV Lepousneanu, ruler of Moldavia, and his wife Roxandra to assist the reconstruction. Theofanis, Metropolitan of Moldavia, oversaw the works and later reposed there.

An inscription credits Lepousneanu with completing the Catholicon (1568). Its frescoes—among the finest examples of the Cretan School—form the most complete pictorial program of a catholicon on Mount Athos, and are attributed to the painter Tzortzis (1568). The built bench on the west side was erected by Prochoros, Archbishop of Achridas, with partial frescoes from the 17th–18th centuries.

In the 17th century further works included: the south side (1602); the Chapel of Saint Demetrios (1614); the upper four stories of the tower (1617); the Chapel of the Holy Forty Martyrs (1636); and painting of the Trapeza (1676 & 1700), among others.

In 1660 the monastery was declared stauropegic by Patriarch Parthenios IV.

In the 18th century construction continued: the NW side (1723), the bell tower (1736), the phiale/flask (1765), and the iconostasis (1783), etc.

Revolution, Losses, and Modern Era (19th–20th c.)

During the Greek Revolution of 1821, Dochiariou lost almost all of its relics and much of its movable property; only the record book listing them survives. Few projects were undertaken in this period.

In 1808 the monks numbered 79, of whom 46 lived within the monastery walls.

The monastery of Dochiariou was converted into a cenobitic (coenobitic) monastery in 1980 by the seal of the Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios I. Today its abbot is Archimandrite Grigorios.

Museum – Sacristy

The Vault of the Holy Monastery of Dochiariou was moved to its tower in 1930. It includes precious relics such as: a part of the Holy Wood, reliquaries of many saints, sacred vessels, vestments and matres, other gold-embroidered fabrics, wooden and wire crosses, as well as holy chalices, Gospels, censers, and candles.

Among the relics is an offering disc (diameter 38 cm), made of an undiagnosed copper alloy, bearing a relief of the protoplasts on either side of the Tree of Life. The type is notably different from the usual record-offering iconography and is quite rare—probably from a German metalworking workshop, early 16th century.

Icons

The Icon Vault preserves portable icons—Byzantine, post-Byzantine, and newer—kept there when they cannot remain in the catholicon or its chapels due to number or conservation needs.

Also notable is a marble chest (panel) from the catholicon iconostasis (11th century), depicting the mythical flight of Alexander the Great on a diphros drawn by two griffins. Today this panel is built into the exterior of the church.

Library (Spaces and Moves)

In the 18th–19th centuries the library was housed in a small room above the infirmary. After the 1891 fire at Simonopetra and the destruction of its library, Dochiariou’s library—like many others—was moved for safety to the tower (a construction of the early 16th century) in the middle of the east wing. The holdings now occupy the 2nd–4th floors, with some publications in the west wing.

In 2015, the Center for the Safeguarding of Holy Heritage prepared a site study for a new Vault and Library.

Library – Archive

A 1344 document reports that the monastery lost its archive due to “the Latin invasion,” and after 1420 it was transferred to Xenophon Monastery.

Old documents were occasionally reclassified and translated into various languages. A systematic effort began around 1920 under Christoforos Ktenas. He recorded: “The old documents of the monastery, except during its desolation, had been lost, and it is unknown to us where and when they were found...” Ktenas numbered the most official documents and copied them into a code, dividing them into four categories:

• Constitutive acts
• Imperial chrysobulls
• Judicial/administrative decrees (krisimographs) of various Byzantine officials
• Patriarchal seals and other ecclesiastical documents

From newer documents, he numbered the important ones and bundled the rest chronologically by origin; he did not classify Turkish or Romanian items.

The last systematic classification of Byzantine and early post-Byzantine materials (1037–1695) was carried out by a team organized by the Center for Byzantine Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation after repeated visits in the 1960s, published in 1985.

Today the archive holds 60 Byzantine documents (11th–15th c.), about 100 documents from the 16th–17th centuries, and a very large number of unclassified items from the 18th–19th centuries, plus 900 Romanian and 1,200 Turkish documents.

Library – Manuscript Codices

In 1837 (the time of Robert Curzon) the library had 2,500 codices, of which 150 were parchment. Curzon left the monastery with three loose parchment leaves from an Evangelistario in capitals, which he dated to the 9th century.

Today, the library includes 646 manuscripts, of which 62 are parchment. Several dozen remain uncatalogued, coming from Cells or old burials, among them parchment fragments with capital letters (8th–9th c.). The library also holds a large number of musical codices—143 in total—and 9 Slavonic manuscripts. More than 20 codices were created by renowned Dochiariou scribes.

Among the manuscript codices, an illustrated Menologion (Calendar) of the 12th century (Cod. 5) stands out, with refined script and gold–red titles; it is decorated with 20 depictions of saints (one later cut away). Also notable are a parchment Gospel of the 13th century (Cod. 7) and its paper inventory (1361) (Cod. 76). The library also holds the oldest extant canonical manuscript with works by Lucian.

Of the 395 codices cataloged by Spyridon Lambros, only eight contain works of classical and late antiquity (Aesop’s Fables, the Golden Verses of Pythagoras, the Epistles of Synesius and Phalaris, speeches of Isocrates, etc.). Worthy of mention is Codex 268 (14th c.), compiling selections from Plutarch and Lucian with speeches and letters of Basil the Great.

Library – Printed Books

Around 1930, Christoforos Ktenas counted 1,273 volumes of publications of varied content; of these, 48 (1499–1600) contain classical and ecclesiastical works.

The Library currently holds approximately 5,000 printed books, including several incunabula and early prints. A notable series comprises door-to-door correspondences/editions of classical authors from the 15th–16th centuries: Homer, Pindar, Aristophanes, Euripides, Sophocles, Xenophon, Lucian, Demosthenes.

According to Thomas Papadopoulos (The Libraries of Mount Athos, p. 4), the first Greek edition located at Dochiariou dates to 1498: Aristophanes, Nine Comedies, printed in Venice apud Aldum. The next is the Etymologikon Mega (per alphabet), printed in 1499 in Venice, edited by Zacharias Kalliergis.

Source: About Libraries Greece – Dochiariou Monastery

Visual and Archival Sources for the Dochiariou (Docheiariou) Monastery

Because Dochiariou is active and access is limited, most imagery and documentation comes from (1) Greek/Athonite aggregators, (2) scholarly manuscript catalogs, (3) open image repositories, and (4) curated pilgrim/heritage guides. Use the links below to locate photographs, catalog records, and archival descriptions.

1. Greek / Athonite Repositories

• Athoniki Psifiaki Kivotos – Mount Athos Digital Ark – the official portal linking to monastery collections and media. Start here for institutional context and cross-links.
  Source: mountathos.org. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
• Athonic Digital Ark “Discovery” Catalog – navigate via Monasteries → H. M. Docheiariou, then filter by Manuscripts, Documents, Portable Icons, etc.
  Source: discovery.mountathos.org. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
• SearchCulture.gr – National Aggregator (Mount Athos) – umbrella entry collecting Athos photos and documents; includes ELIA/MIET photos tagged to Dochiariou (e.g., refectory; catholicon views).
  Sources: thematic page; sample items: refectory, catholicon. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

2. Manuscripts & Scholarly Catalogs

• Pinakes (IRHT/CNRS) – authoritative fonds notice and item-level codex records for Monē Docheiariou; includes Lampros references and shelfmarks.
  Sources: fonds notice; example record: cote entry. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
• Dumbarton Oaks – MMDB – research stubs that cross-reference Pinakes and classic Athos catalogs for Dochiariou manuscripts.
  Source: doaks.org. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

3. Image Repositories

• Wikimedia Commons – category with free-licensed exterior/interior views; good for page thumbnails and orientation.
  Sources: main category; example file: Dochiariou_Monastery.jpg; related: Athonite frescoes. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
• Commercial/stock (context only) – broad photo sets of the monastery, pier, and sea approaches (check licensing before reuse).
  Sources: Getty, iStock. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

4. Curated Guides & Heritage Pages

• Mount-Athos.org (Pilgrim guide) – concise profile with present-day photos and practical context.
  Source: mount-athos.org. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
• Athos Guide – overview article with hierarchy, dedication, and relics; helpful for captions and quick facts.
  Source: athos.guide. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
• Ephora

  Videos on Docheiariou Monastery

  The Monastery of Docheiariou.

  The late abbot of Docheiariou, Grigorios.

  The late abbot of Docheiariou, Grigorios, castigating the current Athonite departure from monastic tradition of the Holy Mountain. A priceless video!